Bed



July 23, 1929. F. F. THOMPSON BED 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 4. 1927 July 23, 1929. F. F. THOMPSON BED Filed June 4. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet plu. UUIIAIIIIIA lilly 23, 1929. F. F. THOMPSON 1,721,754

'BED

Filed June 4. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet Patented July 23, 1929.

ENCE..

FRANK F. THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR 'lO HOLMES DISAIPIPEARING BED COMPANY, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BED.

Application filed June 4,

This invention relates to railway cars and has for its object the mounting and conceal-l ing of a bed in the car wall adjoining the Hoor or between the windows and the floor whereby the body of the car is left entirely clear and the walls present a normal standard appearance, in no wise indicative oi the bed concealed therein. It is also contemplated to open' the car walls and position the bed horizontally in the body of the car where it may be used and subsequently returned to its concealed positiony in the car wall.

With the above and other objects in View, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical longitudi nal section through a car showing the interior Vface of the car wall in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2 2 of Fig. l, illustrating the bed in section concealed in the car wall with the wall panels closed in full lines, and, in dotted lines, the wall panels opened with the bed positioned horizontally in the body of the car.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 3 3 of Fig. l and shows the bed concealed in the car wall with the wall panels closed in full lines, while illustrating inV dotted lines, the positions these elements occupy when the panels are opened and the bed is positioned horizontally in the body ofthe car;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2 and discloses the guide and mounting` of the bed frame;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 2 to likewise disclose the details of the guide and mounting of the bed frame;

. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 6 6 of Fig. 2 illustrating the cooperation between a wall panel and the bed 'frame as well as the mountingl and operation of the legs supporting the bed frame; and

Fig. 7 yis a horizontal section taken along line 7 7 of Fig. 2, showing in plan the cooperation between the bed frame and a wall panel when the panels are opened and the bed positioned horizontallyl in the body of the car.

The present invention, while being of gen- 1927. Serial No. 196,411.

eral application, is especially designed to provide sleeping accommodations in nonrevenue producing space of railroad equipment, largely for useby train crews or other employees, It contemplates the housing and concealment of a bed in or against the wall adjoining the car floor or between` thevwindows and the floor of the car in such manner that the wallpresents its usual and normal appearance.. `When desired to use the bed, the wall is provided with pivoted or hinged panels which may be positioned at right angles to the lwall and the bed moved to a and car wall above the seats. This is equally true of drawing rooms and compartments where the berth structures of the sleeper are merely enclosed. In private cars the sleeping accommodations located in the rooms consists either of berths in all respects like those of the standard sleepers or of standard beds permanently located in the bodyof the rooms.

In the voperation of diners it is the common practice of the railroads to sleep the crews on the tables, supporting the tables on the chairs. In some instances the roads, in order to vavoid this objectionable feature, providefsleeping quarters for the crew of the diner in what otherwise would be revenue producing space. By having a series of beds concealed in or against the walls of a diner between the windows and the floor, the diner would present the usual internal and external appearance and yet at nightV provide readily accessible and adequate sleeping quarters for the crew. Thus the sleeping oi the crew on the dining furniture or providing sleeping quarters in revenue producing portions of the train would be eliminated.

Cabooses are frequently provided with bunks, particularly on the western lines, in which the crews sleep at the ends of their runs and which permanently occupy floor space that could and should be available for other purposes. By the use of the present invention in cars of this type, the sleeping accommodations could be concealed inor against the walls of the caboose leaving the body of the car clear for the use of the crew during .the operation of the train.

fork trains usually include at least a bunk car and a cook car where the men and crew live when not in bed or at work. ing the beds in or against the walls as herein provided, onelcar of a work train could be eliminated or at least a full car with its body unobstructed could be had for the occupancy of the crew.

Private cars generally lack sufcient sleeping quarters, particularly for temporary guests, the. sleeping accommodations being limited to one, two and sometimes three bedrooms, each having berths like those in sleepers or a stan dard bed permanently occupying the Hoor space of the room. No sleeping accommodations are usually provided in the observation ends of such cars where the greatest space is available.` In such private cars, one or more beds can be mounted in or against the walls of the observation end and, while in no way altering the normal appearance thereof, would provide additional sleeping accommodations when desired.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawings, 10 designates the floor of any standard railroad car, while 11, denotes the windows, 12 the side .wall or plates, and 13 the windows sills thereof. As the details of the construction of railroad cars, even in the same type, vary, to a greater or less degree, the standard elements, such as the floor,.side or vwall plates, window sills, etc., have merely been indicated diagrammatically. It will be noted, however, that the present invention can readily be applied to all types of equipment, irrespective of the details of construction thereof. In passenger equipment the steam pipes 14, for heating purposes, are located along the side walls of the cars adjoining the floor, kand are-covered, at least from above, by a plate or. guard, 15, usually secured to or forming a. part of the sheeting 16. The

sheeting 16 and pipes 15 are always spaced from the outer wall or plates 12, the former contributing the interior wall finish of the car. Thus the sills 13 of the windows 11 project inwardly from the side walls or plates 12, over the spa-ce 17 between them and the sheeting 16 thereby constituting the top of this space 17, at the windows. Often these sills 18 project somewhat beyond the inner face of the sheeting 16.

It is the purpose of the present invention to use the space 17, between the side plates 12, and the sheeting 16, either above the pipes 14 or to the rear ofthe pipes for the purpose of housing and concealing' beds. In some installations, it may be necessary for the panels (to be described) that conceal the bed to pro- By mountject or be located beyond the sills 13, or be positioned above the guard 15, but this would in no wise affect the operation of the bed or occupy any appreciable space in the body of the car. l

In this space 17 can be placed vertical guides or braces 18 which are spaced longi- 'tudinally of the car a distance equivalent to the length ofthe bed frame 19. These guides may, and preferably do, ext-end completely across the space 17 and from the sills 13 to the floor 10, and therefore may act as a brace for the car structure. In the event the standard car structure is` provided. with vertical braces at the desired points such braces may be used as guides with only slight modification. The lower ends of these guides are grooved, as at 20, from their lower ends to points somewhat above the horizontal plane of thev guard 15 of the steam pipes 14. Y

rlhe bed frame 19 is rectangular in form and is constructed of angle bar. At each end of one ofthe sidesof the frame 19 is a projecting stud 21, which may carry a-roller and which extends into the grooves 20 of the guides 18. In this manner the frame'19 is secured to and between a pair of guides 18,

for both a lateral pivoted movement andy a vertical sliding movement. Thus when the bed frame 19 rests vertically, its upper or free side may be swung outwardly or awayfrom the plates 12 and at the same time the entire frame 19 may be lifted. This permits the frame 19 to be swung to a horizontal position, as illustrated in dotted lines in the drawings, with the studs 21 located at the upper ends of the grooves 20 and the bed frame resting on or substantially parallel to the guard v15.

TNhen the frameI 19 is in its horizontal position projecting into the body of the car,'supports must be provided for the outer side thereof. For that purpose legs 2 2 are hinged to the under side of the frame 19 at or adjoining the free side thereof and are adapted to rest parallelto the ends of theframe 19 and next in the angles when the frame is vertical and in the space 17. Connected link or Y folding braces 28 are interposed between the ends of the frame 19 and the legs 22 to hold the same in theiroperative positions supporting the outer or free side of the same frame. By folding these braces 23 the legs may be made to rest parallel to the frame 19 and in the angles of the ends thereof.

The frame 19 carries a standard bed spring (not shown) of a type that will not project appreciable extent transversely beyond the limits of the sides andY ends of said frame and a mattress or pad and bedding may be held on this spring andl frame by a suitable device, such as straps extending from one side of the framelto the other. 7

In the eventthe car construction makes it impractical to house a portion lof the frame 19 between the ysheeting 16 to the rear of the pipes 14; and the walls or plates 12, the frame may be positioned 'and pivoted in that part onf the space 17 above said pipes. Likewise, should the car construction render it advisable to utilize only a part or none of the space 17 for housing and concealing the bed,.the guides 18 or equivalent structure may extend into or be positioned in the body ot' the car above the guard 15. In either event, the bed frame 19 will, in one position, be housed or concealed in or against the side wall of the car between the windows 11, and the floor 10, with no material projection into the body of the car and may be swung outwardly into a horizontal position in the car body for use.'

To conceal the bed frame 19, when it is placed vertically in or against the car wall, a pair of panels 24 are hinged as at 25 to or adjacent to the guides 18. Each of these panels 24 is approximately equal in length to one-half the length of the frame 19 and together they form a complete closure for the space between the guides 18. Their outer surfaces are finished to match the linish of placed coplanar they are to all intents and purposes the sheeting or interior wall of the car and the standard fixed interior sheeting` may be made to align therewith should the panels 24 be loca-ted somewhat vbeyond the normal plane thereoil because of meeting the requirements occasioned by the details of construction of the car.

When the panels are opened and extended into the body of the car they will be approximately parallel to the ends of the frame 19 when it also is extended into the car body. To prevent any movement ot the panels 24 relatively to the frame 19 suitable connections are provided between the panels and the trame whereby the former are rigidly locked to lthe latter. 'Ihe means illustrated in a tapered hook or stud 26 'fastened to each end of the outer side of the frame 19, adapted to drop into a pocket or eye 27, on the inner face of the adjoining panel 24. As weight is ap,

plied to the frame 19, the taper of the hook 26, causes a snug titbetween it and the eye 27, thereby taking up any play that might otherwise exist.

'Ihe foregoing description applies generally to passenger equipment such. as diners and private cars but also is equally applicable to other types of equipments. In the cars of work trains and cabooses there are no steam pipes so that the installation ot the present invention in or against the wall be-v tween the windows, if any, is simplified. Should there be no windows in the car wall the position and operation of the bed would be the same and in addition it would then be possible to mount the bed where the windows otherwise would be.

Particular attention is directed to the application of the present invention to diners,

whereby the ent-ire dining equipment may be stacked and all the members of the crew provided withbeds along the'sides of the car. When the dining `furniture is in place, not onlyV are thebeds hidden and concealed, but so are the panels 24 to a. large extent and particularly at the points where the panels meet which willprob'ably be under the tables.

It is obvious that the details of construction and mounting may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed:

1. In a railroad car including a floor and walls, the combination with a frame adapted to occupy a position in the body of the car, of means for concealing said trame adjoin- `ing the floor and car wall leaving the body of the car unobstructed by the frame or its cooperating elements.

2. In a railroad car including a floor and walls, the combination with a frame pivoted to occupy either a horizontal position in the body of the car or a vertical position adjoin ing'and substantially parallel to one of its walls, of'means for concealing said frame when in its vertical position leaving the body of the car unobstructed.

, 3. In a railroad car including a lioor, walls and windows in the walls, the combination with a bed frame, of means for mounting said bed frame between the windows and the iioo'r whereby it may be concealed to leave the body of the car unobstructed.

4. In a railroad car including a floor, walls, and windows, the combination with a bed frame mounted adjoining the wall to occupy either a horizontal position in the body of the car or a vertical positionl adjoining and substantially parallel to said wall and below the windows, of means for concealing said bed trame when in its vertical position to leave the body of the car substantially free of the bed and its appurtenances.

5. In a railroad car, the combination with a bed hinged adjoining one ofthe walls there- Htl of to occupy a horizontal position in the body of the car or a. vertical position in the wall` and of means for concealing said bed in its vertical position.

6. In a .railroad car, a bed pivoted to the wall of said car below the car windows to occupy a horizontal position in the body of the car or a vertical position in the wall, and panels pivotally hinged to the wall to conceal the bed when in its vertical position and to vconstitute ends for the beds when the latter is in its horizontal position.

' 7. r['he combination with al pair of panels hinged to rest parallel or at right angles to one ot' the walls of the car, of a bed frame pivoted to occupy a vertical position between said panels and the wall when the panels are parallel to the latter or occupy a horizontal position in the body of the car when thc panels are at right angles to the wall, and

the combination with means of connection between said bed frame and said panels to constitute a unitary structure when tbe bed frame is lioiizontal. l

8. TheV combination With a pair of panels 5 `hinged to restparallel or at right angles to one of the Walls of the car, of a bed `frame'pivoted to occupy a Vertical position between said panels and the Wall when the panels are parallel to they latter o11 occupy a horizontal position in the body of the cai" When the panels are at right angles to the Wall, eyes carried by the panel, and tapered studs carried at the ends of the bed for engagement in the eyesI aforesaid when the bed is in a horizontal po sition.

Y FRANK F. THOMPSON. 

